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Spy Cams – Finding The Truth Can Be Very Difficult

Another article on spy cams, cheating spouses and getting butt hurt…

Think your partner is cheating on you? Bug them

It is getting easier and cheaper to spy on your partner or business rival these days.

For as little as R280, a suspicious husband or wife – or a deceitful businessman – can buy a listening device online. For a bit extra, there are also clocks, sunglasses and alarm system “eyes” with built-in clandestine cameras.

Security experts and detective agencies said this week that there was massive growth in this market, with clients asking for these gadgets.

“We have quite a few people phoning us about matrimonial cases,” said Alan Carey, director of Durban-based Justicia Investigations. “A lot of times, when we speak to them, they say that they have these suspicions because they had already bought and used a particular device.”

Increasingly common are small electronic devices that are activated remotely. A SIM card is inserted into the device and, when that number is dialled, the person calling can listen to what is being said nearby. Carey said this was used as much in matrimonial cases as in industrial espionage.

An exact replica of a VW car key, this device is capable of recording HD video and audio, and is often used to secretly record business meetings. Image: THULI DLAMINI

“One [client] actually took out the top wooden panel of the door of a flat he owned in Joburg that his wife was going up to and placed the device there. He then dialled in and listened in to a conversation and realised that his wife wasn’t alone in the flat. He came to us, said his wife was going back to Joburg and asked if we could go and do surveillance,” said Carey.

These kinds of devices are available across South Africa, not only in online stores.

Manhar Parshotam, owner of Dragon Protection Services, said: “You can get them pretty much anywhere these days.”

They were usually used when cheating was suspected. “We see them used for incidents involving husbands and wives, that’s the most common. But you also see people do it for business reasons, such as recording their business partners if the relationship has soured. People are also doing it in meetings,” said Parshotam.